Looking Back
by Marukaite Chikyuu Doitsu
Summary: Looking back, she could see all the emotions put into the wish that he made that had trapped her here- Kagome, kagome, the bird in the cage, living up to her name. And yet, with his company, she could live through this, in the field of light. Hetaoni ref.


MCD: *sigh* I don't even know what I'm doing anymore.

*~_-=\*~-**!**-~*/=-_~*

"_Ka~go~me, Ka-Go-Me. Kago no naka no tori wa~" _

Tortured laughter rang out across the plain of glowing golden wheat and fresh, tall grass. A white flower swayed in the breeze, only to be trampled by a bare foot. The evening sun glowed upon the white and red garb worn by a young woman, the only person in the field.

She was the only person here at the moment. Nobody else… absolutely _no one_...

She was trapped here forever. Eternally. For eons and eras and centuries, trapped, forever. A cage of perfect peace. A cage that tortured her.

"_Itsu itsu deyaru? Yoake no ban ni~"_

It was always evening here. She figured that was because no matter what he did, no matter how many times he tried to save his friends, it would always end terribly, like the darkness of night cascading over and cursing them.

Just as the night could come and steal away the time people had, the end of hours of fun for children, the time to dine for the hidden beasts in the night, and the time for the innocent to suffer and die, it was the nearly the end.

But she remained oh so _close-! _She remained, trapped in limbo, in this evening light. Tortuously she thought the sun might set and she might escape, but that would only come when he completed his task. When he saved his friends from dying over and over and _over _again! So maddeningly close to the end of his quest, yet always detoured somehow through that damned mansion, or possibly one of his friends murdered by the youkai that resided there- always so close to the end, yet never able to and it.

Or was it the beginning? The beginning of the end of their lives? Over and over again, just like the cycle of the days and nights? No, that wasn't a good metaphor- they had no days or nights anymore. Being stuck in that mansion all of the time and always on guard, taking shifts in sleeping, had completely destroyed their sense of time. Day and night no longer existed. All that existed for them was the hope of escape.

"_Tsuru to kame to subetta." _

"Kagome-sama?"

Ah, perfect timing as always, yet arriving at the most controversial time. Was he the crane, trying to stay vigilant, prudent, innocent? Only trying to stay alert to his surroundings, always telling her of the happenings in their world? Wondering who it could possibly be that would stab him in the back? Or was he the turtle, a good omen in her darkest days, symbolizing the 10,000 years of life that she had yet to live through as the immortal Shikon no Miko?

Who was behind the fall of the turtle and the crane? For her, it was the half demon. No, wait, it wasn't even him- it was the jewel itself, the wish upon it that started this whole damned cycle.

A wish to become strong at mind and heart. A wish to be able to show his friends that he wasn't worthless- and if he failed to show them how he could make all of his faults up to them, then a chance to redo. To start over again, and hopefully let all of them survive-

"_I will save everyone this time." _

Hands grabbed her from behind and she was forced to stop twirling, She faced away from her captor, eyes unblinking at the scenery before her. Yet, after all movement stopped, she continued to sing the last line.

"_Ushiro no shoumen dare?" _

Who stands behind her right now?

Who is the backstabber?

The one who brings ill?

Kagome, Kagome, she knew who was behind her. She continued to stare at the sun, eyes unfazed. She knew who was behind her. She knew who was behind all of this.

_Kagome Kagome, the bird in the cage,  
>when, when will you come out?<br>In the evening of the dawn,  
>the crane and turtle slipped.<br>Who stands right behind you now?_

Kagome was trapped, like a bird in a cage, until Feliciano fulfilled his wish. Until he fulfilled the wish granted god knows how long ago by the jewel, to be able to show his friends that he could do something right. He unknowingly brought pain and suffering to them all. Yet he carried on, trapped until escape. When would he come out of the mansion? When will she come out of this perfect hell?

In the evening of the dawn was where she was trapped. In the end of light, in the end of the first light, she was backstabbed in her sleep. And for what cause? The completion of an object that had caused murders, genocides, pain, suffering, tears, sweat, blood? Why would anyone want to complete the power of something like that? Forever trapped in the evening light.

The crane and the turtle slipped, slipped and fell into a world that they did not belong in. The first because of the jewel. She hadn't belonged in this world in the first place, the world of personified countries, the world of murderous alien beings that simply **should. Not. Exist. **She belonged in the 21st century with her family. Hell, even in the centuries passed with her other family. Just not here.

He, he wasn't supposed to be here either. As a matter of fact, he was supposed to be dead. He slipped into this because of the wish and the words said after every failure.

"_I will save everyone this time." _

He hadn't specified whom "everyone" was. But in an odd sort of way, it also counted him- Feliciano had been unable to save him from the war that he'd run off to fight. Feliciano had been unable to stop him from sacrificing himself and his entire empire. So in a way, Feliciano was trying to save him too- from the mistake of not stopping him all those years before.

He was behind her now.

"Shinsei Roma~"

The hands grasping her arms loosened and fell away, but she did not turn around.

"What's the damage done this time, Shinsei~Roma~?"

Granted, she had gone a bit loopy while stuck in her prison, her cage, but who wouldn't have by now? She the blonde ex-nation clear his throat behind her.

"My bruder. Prussia. Your homeland. Japan. He'sa gone missing. He'sa not dead, though. Yet."

Holy Rome's tired voice saddened her greatly and she slumped, looking to the ground for some sort of solace. She found none in the swaying plants.

"Very well, Shinsei Roma. Arigatou." She murmured and stood still, letting the ever-so-slight breeze pull on her hair and miko garb. He heaved a sigh and hugged her from behind, resting his hat-capped head on her shoulder. Though his eyes were closed she knew he was close to crying. Crying for the deaths, of people he'd known and the misfortunes of those he hadn't gotten the chance to know. Kagome raised a hand to her neck where he had his arms wrapped around and patted the hand that rested on her collarbone. Soothingly, she started to sway back and forth and hum.

_Kagome, Kagome…_

Holy Rome swayed with her for a short while, then stopped them both. He opened his eyes, an action that made his eyelashes tickle her ear. Holy Roman Empire smiled, a small smile with minute humour.

"If it makesa you feel any better, they named the beast Steve." He whispered into her ear and a grin slowly shone on her face. Holy Rome, sensing this, smiled a little brighter as well.

He released Kagome from his hold and sighed.

"I have to go anda watch over them for a while. I'll try to be back asa soon as possible." He explained to her and her grin faded once again, melancholy claiming her looks. She enjoyed their time together, but it was entirely too short. She nodded in understanding. Without another word, Kagome felt his presence shift and walk away from her, ready fro his departure back to the world of the living, although the living were being sacrificed.

At the last moment she turned and looked at him. She saw the back of him, his charcoal cloak fluttering in the breeze, but it was enough reassurance that he was actually there with her for a moment to last her until his next visit.

She smiled even after he left. Who was behind her now? The past, full of cold, harsh, unrealistic reality of demons and magic and unexplainable things. But now she had the future to look ahead to, despite the bleakness that came with it. Because one day, she would look behind her, not to see the backstabber, but the one to heal her. The one to promise her escape and his, and the one to understand the pain of love and the heart-wrenching acts of sacrifice.

She would look back to see Holy Rome.

*~_-=\*~-**!**-~*/=-_~*

MCD: *rubs eyes* Gosh, it's 1 in the morning… *shrugs and grins*. Eh. This was totally worth it. This was the first piece in a long time to come to me naturally and it flowed right out of my fingers. I really hope you like it, and if you haven't noticed, I made some references to Hetaoni, the song Kagome Kagome, and also the picture of Holy Rome and Italy in a field. The link is on my page, or you could go to youtube and look up "hetaoni music symphony 03" and the picture is the background for the music. Night~


End file.
